Discusses research on censorship attempts that occurred in schools and school libraries over the last decade, including studies that considered types of materials targeted, by whom, and with what results. The increase in school censorship and the problem of the often unclear use of the term censorship are discussed. (EM)

For many years, there has been pressure on American schools to restrict or deny students access to books or periodicals deemed objectionable by some individual or group on moral, political, religious, ethnic, racial, or philosophical grounds. Censorship of library books in school media centers is present today. The library media specialist is…

This 25-article issue presents overview of reference services for childern and young adults, including public and school libraries, information needs, reference interviews, children's librarians, library instruction, library cooperation, production of information resources, material selection, and vertical files. References are included. (Haworth…

Discusses the effects of the creation-evolution controversy on school libraries. Addresses two main questions: (1) whether a school library is required to purchase or accept donations of books presenting "creation science" or "arguments against evolution"; and (2) how to evaluate the appropriateness of creationist books. (WRM)

This report reviews the seven times that the courts have considered the question of whether school boards can remove books from school libraries. Because the first and the three most recent cases upheld the rights of boards, while the other three cases were won by plaintiffs who had filed their cases against the boards, the differences in the…

Reviews the literature in library and information science to identify factors that influence the outcome of challenges to school library materials. A conceptual model is developed that encompasses district selection policy, librarian characteristics, school environment, community environment, and initiator of the challenge, and tentative…

Discusses the problem of serious dangers in current and backlist chemistry experiment books. Discarding of older books and careful evaluation of the dangers inherent in newer books are recommended. Safe alternatives are suggested, including some criteria for evaluating dangers, and a safer approach used by a current author. (EM)

This statement, prepared by the National Council of Teachers of English, addresses the increasing problem of censorship in the public schools in the form of pressure to restrict or deny students access to certain books or periodicals deemed objectionable by individuals or groups on moral, political, religious, ethnic, racial, or philosophical…

Prepared by an intellectual freedom committee, this issue is intended to aid librarians in thinking about intellectual freedom when confronted with the current creationism controversy. A manual containing documents and resources on intellectual freedom, a bibliography of pro- and anti-creationism materials, and results of a censorship survey are…

This content analysis examines library science and education literature on censorship in public and public school libraries in the 1980s. The first chapter discusses the organization and activities of right-wing and left-wing pressure groups together with ways in which librarians have responded to their pressure. The distinction between censorship…

Argues that the traditional method of library media collection development in public schools is inappropriate and proposes collection mapping as more efficient and better suited to the school curriculum. Instructions for creating a map are provided as well as guidelines for collection development. (CDD)

Describes the use of collection mapping to assess media collections of Aurora, Colorado, Public Schools. Case studies of elementary, middle, and high school media centers describe materials selection and weeding and identify philosophies that library collections should support school curriculum, and teacher-library media specialist cooperation in…

Censorship has become a significant problem for public school libraries and has been addressed in several court cases, including Pico v. Island Trees Board of Education, the first such case to be heard by the Supreme Court. In this case, to be decided in the summer of 1982, the school board voted to remove a group of books from school libraries,…

The first part of a two-part review of research related to school library media collections summarizes studies with implications for budgets and collection size, the selection process, collection policies, and the librarian as censor. A table compares data on holdings and expenditures for schools providing high-level library service with national…

This article reviews studies of school library media collections which address issues related to collection evaluation, networking, collection mapping, student preferences, and special collections. A summary of practical implications of the research findings and a proposed research agenda are appended. (35 references) (SD)